Harnessing Sun’s Power to Generate
Electricity Gives New Meaning to ‘Sunshine
State’

February 08, 2007 01:54 PM Eastern Standard Time

SHREWSBURY, N.J.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--PVOne LLC, a leading developer and financer of large-scale solar power
generation systems, announced today its role in the development of a ‘brownfields
to brightfields’ solar energy project poised
to be the largest photovoltaic array in Florida and among the largest in
the Southeast United States. The project should be operational in the
second quarter of 2007.

The 250-KW photovoltaic (PV) system will be located at Rothenbach Park
in Sarasota County, FL, on the site of the former Bee Ridge Landfill.
Covering an area of 28,000 square feet, the solar energy system will
utilize 1,200 photovoltaic panels and will connect directly to the
distribution grid. When operational, the solar energy system will
produce enough electricity to meet the needs of 50 homes on an annual
basis, and prevent 10,500 tons of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide from
entering the atmosphere over its operational life –
the environmental equivalent of avoiding the use of 1.1 million gallons
of gasoline.

PVOne negotiated the site lease with Sarasota County officials, and a
Green Solar Tag Agreement for installation of the PV system. PVOne also
brought together experienced industry and financial partners to develop
the first solar energy system under Florida’s
Sunshine Energy Program, a voluntary green power program offered to
residential and commercial customers who want to support cleaner,
renewable electric generation. PowerLight Corporation, a subsidiary of
SunPower Corporation, will work with PVOne to deploy the solar power
system, and provide operation and maintenance services; third-party
financing will be used to finance the $2.5 million ‘brownfields
to brightfields’ project.

“We are proud to be part of the team
developing the first large-scale solar energy system in the state of
Florida, and we have nothing but the highest praise for the commitment
of all the parties involved in the project, particularly Sarasota County
and the State of Florida,” said Vaughn
Kaizer, PVOne LLC principal and managing member. “Utilizing
the Bee Ridge Landfill to harness the sun’s
energy is a brilliant use of a brownfield, and one that is both
financially and environmentally sound.”

There are more than 365,000 brownfields in the U.S. that are stabilized
and ready for benign development, but municipalities are often at a loss
for environmentally sensitive ways to make these sites productive again.
According to Kaizer, brownfields represent ideal locations for the
installation of solar energy systems due to their proximity to
distribution lines and the absence of shading obstructions. An
innovative method developed by PowerLight ensures that the
photovoltaic panels are securely installed without penetrating the
protective clay cap encasing the contents of the landfill –
often situated just 18 inches below the surface.

“We hope other states will follow Florida’s
lead in turning ‘brownfields into brightfields’
and reducing the country’s reliance on fossil
fuel for electricity generation,” Kaizer said.

About PVOne LLC: PVOne LLC is a strategic project development
group that works directly with public and private entities, project
developers, PV system installers and integrators to develop and finance
customized, large scale rooftop and ground-mounted solar power
generation systems which provide competitively priced renewable
electricity to host customers throughout the U.S. PVOne also offers its
consulting services to renewable energy developers worldwide, and is
currently involved with large-scale solar energy projects in Spain and
Greece. Learn more at www.pvone.com.